Write two short paragraphs. The first paragraph should summarize how Islam spread. The second paragraph should describe the importance and the results of trade in the Muslim Empire.

Islam spread in a variety of ways. In the beginning, Islam spread through conquest. Muhammad and his followers took the city of Mecca and continued to expand militarily. After, Islam spread mainly through diplomacy and trade. People in the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates were given special privileges for converting to Islam, and Muslim books and missionaries were sent on boats in the Indian Ocean Trade route.

The vast amounts of trade, both on land (primarily through the trans-Saharan trade routes) and sea (through the Indian Ocean Maritime route) allowed for Islam to prosper throughout Asia and Africa. Books were transported, along with newly devout merchants themselves, across the Eastern world. The rich lands of Arabia and Eastern Africa allowed for the Islamic nations to have a strong holding in trade.